Once again, for the third year in a row, the Adobe MAX User Conference will hit Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Convention Center from October 1-5. It is the biggest Adobe Community event of the year. It is the one place where the worlds of technology and artistry converge and it’s in our own backyard.
Conference Registration is now open and if you register between now and July 31, you’ll save $200 off the price of admission to the Adobe blow out event of the year. Just remember when you do register to mention LAdobe’s local user group manager, Adam Bell, when the prompt to list your local User Group Manager appears. We’ll explain why later in this post. It’s very important.
But why attend? Every year many of the locals here in the Southland pass on this conference and we always wonder why. Yes, at $1,495 it is a very pricey consideration. However, we have 10 reasons why you should consider going to MAX 2011 and here’s LAdobe’s reasons why you should attend
1. It’s in our backyard
Yes, At almost $1,500, no one will argue how expensive attending MAX is. However, it’s in our hometown of LA (and will be again in 2012) and so you will not have to incur expenses for hotel and airfare which usually costs almost as much as conference admission itself. Typically, there’s a continental breakfast each morning and lunch each afternoon plus all the complimentary food and drink at the various parties each night. So unless you want to get a coffee at the Illy or Starbucks over at LA Live, you’re pretty much covered for most expenses. You’d only have to worry about parking and most lots near the Convention Center are around $3-5 if you don’t mind walking a couple of extra blocks.
2. Meet your neighbors
With over 5,000 attendees you can rest assured many of them are from Los Angeles County and neighboring Orange, Ventura and San Bernadino counties. Many of whom never attend a local user group because of their work schedules but will go to MAX. This would be your chance to schmooze with them and make new business and personal contacts. Who knows? You might get your next gig just by attending MAX!
3. Hang out with 5,000 of your closest friends
While we don’t expect you to meet each and every Adobe MAX attendee, we do expect you to meet a couple of hundreds of your peers in all sorts of creative and technical fields. This is your chance to make new relationships and who knows? You might just get a call or email from some agency in New York or Boston wanting you to work on a project for them. This is the chance to establish those relationships right here at MAX. A tremendous professional opportunity not to pass up.
4. Sneaks and more sneaks
Tuesday is typically sneaks night where the Nokia Theatre becomes the place to see the next great Adobe software months before it’s actual release. It’s where the first look at Adobe’s HTML5 animation tool, Edge, was debuted last October and by MAX this year, it will likely be ready for actual use by the public. This year, we should expect to witness the first glimpses of Creative Suite 6 and all the major changes to Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver and more. A can’t miss night!
5. The latest technology converges here
Last year, we got to witness Adobe’s effort to integrate Flash onto mobile devices and it’s amazing Digital Publishing Suite where you could use InDesign to create compelling online magazines and newspapers that interact with mobile. This year, who knows what Adobe will have up its’ sleeves but is bound to be exciting and will be a feature of each mornings’ keynote. Speaking of keynotes….
6. At least it’s not just another T-Shirt
Last year, Adobe surprised its’ MAX attendees at the Monday and Tuesday keynotes. On the first day, all attendees received a free Droid X phone from Motorola. And Tuesday? It was a copy of Google for everyone. That’s not some contest drawing. Everyone received one. Just those two items alone paid for most of the conference admission. While there’s no guarantee you will receive anything that amazing this year, the bar has definitely been raised from just receiving a free T-Shirt or Backpack. So plan to make sure you attend the keynote each and every morning! Makes the rush hour commute that much more relaxing.
7. Improve your Adobe skill set
Whether it’s learning more about an Adobe app you already know how to use or you want to learn an Adobe app from scratch, there’s a seminar meant for you. And since you have to register for each seminar you plan to attend, the earlier you sign up for MAX, the better your chances to get into the seminar you actually want to attend.
8. Stars, stars and more stars!
Of course, we’re in LA where you can trip over a celebrity at the local Coffee Bean, but who says you can’t do a little stargazing at MAX? Last year MAX welcome celebrities like Martha Stewart to the keynote and William Shatner at the sneaks. Who knows who will show up this year? Actually, last year’s sneaks was supposed to be hosted by Leonard Nimoy, but had to pull out due to a family emergency. Will Spock cash in an IOU and host sneaks this year? Only time will tell. But you rest assured that MAX will have enough A-List celebrities from both the creative world and the entertainment world.
9. Students can get your career kick started in high gear!
Studying at UCLA? USC? CalArts? Otis? Santa Monica College? Art Institute? Doesn’t matter how big or small your institute of higher learning is, you can attend MAX for as little as $299 for the entire show. This will be your chance to make contact with some of the biggest names from around the globe and secure that internship or job once your graduate. With unemployment still running rampant in LA and the rest of the US, landing that first job has never been so difficult to attain and you need every advantage you can get. Adobe MAX will help you make those initial connections and land that all important job! At $299, let Adobe MAX be your employment recruiter.
10. Can’t afford all of MAX? We’ve got a plan for that.
You could always sign up for just a one day pass for $595 or a two day pass for $995. You’ll still get to attend a portion of the conference, check out all the sessions for that day including the keynote and attend any events that evening. You could also signup for the exhibits and unconference pass which includes the always popular ‘Unconferences’ featuring sessions produced by such familiar names at 360Flex and FITC. You also get access to the keynote and evening events as well and the chance to schmooze with over 5,000 peers in your industry. And no matter which package you choose, it’s always tax deductible. So save all your receipts!
LAdobe believes that these ten reasons will convince you to attend the annual MAX User Conference and watch your professional and personal life be altered in some many ways. At $1,495 it’s really a bargain for what you actually receive and we don’t just mean the possibility of scoring a free phone. It’s all the knowledge and connections you’ll receive by attending this annual event. And it’s just a short drive away!
And did you like our Creative Suite 5.5 Launch Party back in June? Want to see more events like that for the entire local community? Then make sure when you register to give LAdobe some love. When you see the prompt to type in your local User Group Manager, make sure you don’t leave it blank and that you type in Adam Bell so Adobe will be aware that you know about the local Adobe community and that they’ll start planning more big events in the Southland just for us throughout the year.
So sign up for MAX 2011 now and we hope to see you at the biggest Adobe event of the year!
